SIT initiates inquiry into the land scam in the AP MedTech Zone

Friday, September 8, 2017 
Visakhapatnam

The Special Investigating Team headed by DIG (Greyhounds) Vineet Brijlal has initiated an inquiry into the alleged land scam in the AP MedTech Zone.

Minister for Panchayat Raj Ch.Ayyanna Patrudu has lodged a complaint against the alleged land scam. In his complaint, Ayyanna Patrudu alleged that the vast extend of land had surreptitiously been transferred to certain benami land-holders by members of influential political families and the government had to pay compensation for its own land under the acquisition scheme. It is spread over 270 acres at Nadupuru in the district.

Vineet Brijlal said that there are about 202 claimants for the 270 acres for which the government has already paid about Rs.25 crore as compensation at the rate of Rs.12 lakh per acre. ‘What we need to look into is what is the extent of government land and who are the genuine owners and who have claimed compensation illegally by fabricating the records, he said. As many as 300 complaints were shortlisted and 160 had been sorted out. So far, we have identified about 300 acres of land in Visakhapatnam rural that had been encroached upon by fabricating the documents and 278 sacres that had been grabbed by tampering the documents under the Provision of Transfer Act’, he said.

The SIT has already filed cases against 49 officials. It also sought departmental inquiry against them. It registered criminal cases against 15 private individuals. FIR has been filed against 13 officials. He said that out of the 69 NOC cases, it has finalized 23 of them and inquiry is on in respect of the remaining, he said.